


Serendipity

by Keggy_Chaos



Series: Serendipity [1]
Category: Pirates of the Caribbean (Movies), Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (2007), Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (2006), Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-03-28
Updated: 2013-04-01
Packaged: 2017-12-06 18:30:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 10,999
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/738788
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Keggy_Chaos/pseuds/Keggy_Chaos
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After being murdered by Bootstrap Bill, James Norrington finds himself trapped inside the Locker. Whilst trying to keep a grip on his sanity James encounters a young woman also imprisoned in the Locker. Can they find a way to set things right - together?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

James Norrington stood amidst the endless desolate plains of Davey Jones Locker. The blue of the sky blended with the white of the land somewhere off in the distance. He had no idea of how long he had been there, for time seemed to pass so slowly that it appeared not to pass at all. James remembered everything which had led him here, all of the wrong decisions to choices he should have never been faced with. He lost everything for Miss Swan and now he was condemned to roam these plain for eternity it would seem. James let out a sigh and pulled himself off the ground. He removed his cumbersome wig and used the black ribbon to tie his hair back. He then tossed the wig back to the ground and began walking forwards. James had no idea where he was going, or what, if anything he would find, but he was sure of one thing. He had to keep moving, he was always a man of action and he wasn't about to change that now.

James had been walking for what felt like an eternity, but never once had the sun moved in the sky above. Ahead of him he saw something white lying upon the ground. Summoning a previously unused amount of strength he jogged up to the object. Upon closer inspection he discovered that it was the wig he had abandoned earlier. In front of the wig were footprints, his footprints to be exact. It shouldn't have been possible and yet there was the evidence lying right in front of him.

The frustration and the heat finally took its toll on James and his gentlemanly demeanour. A harsh string of expletives streamed forth from his mouth and he kicked the dirt. James was not sure how much more of this torture he could take.

A low whistle sounded from somewhere behind him but before James was able to address the whistler a female voice announced "with a mouth like that you must be a sailor of some sort, but, if you are indeed a sailor then where is your ship?" she paused, but before James could give a reply she started again, "but then again, why would you be wearing such a ridiculous costume if you weren't one of His Majesty of England's finest?" her voice trailed off. James could not help but notice the voice had a slight accent to it, but it was not one he was familiar with, he only new for certain that English was not her native tongue.

James's hesitation to turn around or acknowledge this new female presence disturbed the woman, "I'm not a figment of your imagination you know, and if you are as high ranking as your costume suggests then surely it is rude for you not to at least turn around and acknowledge me, I do so hate being ignored."

"My apologies Madam, I meant no offense, however this place has already pulled so many tricks upon me that I find it is best if I simply ignore them," James said as he turned around slowly, mentally preparing for yet another hallucination. Although why a hallucination should have such an implacable accent was beyond him, maybe this place was getting to him more than he had originally thought.

The sight he was met with was stunning to say the least. Firstly, she was standing far too close to him for how distant her voice had sounded only seconds ago. Secondly she was a true beauty, unconventional by British standards, but a beauty none the less. She had a strange eye colour which was neither blue nor green; it was the colour of the ocean and seemed to move around in much the same way. The more he stared, the more he found himself unable to look away from her striking eyes. Her skin was porcelain white without a single blemish to speak of and it served to make her raven black hair stand out even more. She couldn't have been much older than 18 and her stature, while not as diminutive as Lord Beckett, was still far from reaching his own height. She slowly cocked her head to the side and stared back at him, "I think I liked it better when you were ignoring me, Do I have something unattractive on my face, or do you just like to stare?" she asked.

"No, no," James stuttered out, "there is absolutely nothing wrong with your face. In fact, I have never seen one so stunning. " Before James could stop his words they were out of his traitorous mouth.

The woman tentatively reached out and pinched James hard on the shoulder. He yelped and wrenched her hand away, holding it far away from where it could once again inflict pain upon him. James glared at her, "what the devil was that for?" he asked, anger entering his voice.

"I was merely testing if you were a hallucination or not. I don't think I have ever been complemented like that before, so I simply had to test if you were real."

"I believe you are supposed to pinch yourself in order to test that theory."

"Now why on earth would I want to inflict such pain upon myself when I have come to the same conclusion but pinching you?"

James opened his mouth to voice some retort, but found he had none, "I still don't appreciate being pinched Madam," he finally said curtly.

"I'm hardly a Madam you know, and sorry about that, but I was hardly going to carry on a conversation with my own insanity now was I?

"I suppose not. If you are not a Madam, then how shall I address you?

"My name is Synnove Nordenburg, so I suppose you may call me Synnove."

"Calling you by your first name is terribly improper, I must insist on calling you Miss Nordenburg."

"And who is it that will be enforcing said rules of propriety?"

"No one I suppose."

"Well then, there is simply no need for it, is there?" she said smiling up at him.

"I suppose you are once again right Miss Synnove."

Synnove rolled her eyes in reply, "Now then, what is your name?"

"Admiral James Norrington of His Majesty the King of England" he replied bowing elegantly to her.

"An Admiral you say, how spectacular!" Synnove exclaimed, " I think I shall call you Admiral James."

"I believe that your apparent glee is unwarranted, being an Admiral is hardly spectacular," James replied in a low drawl.

"I beg to differ"

"It landed me here now didn't it?"

"I suppose it is finally your chance to be right then Admiral James, but I wouldn't get used to that feeling," Synnove said with another smile.

James smiled back at her, his first genuine smile in years, "what do you suggest we do now then?"

"I think we should go that way," Synnove said pointing left of the direction James had been travelling in recently, "after all, you've been going the other way and ended up right back where you started, so maybe we will have more luck if we go that way."

"I suppose there is no harm in exploring."


	2. Chapter 2

They walked together for what seemed like days, but with the sun every still in the sky; they had no idea how long it had been. James told Synnove about his life in Port Royal and his younger life in England, all of it fascinated Synnove so much that James ended up doing most of the talking. He even divulged his tale about a certain pirate and the Isla De Muerte and onto his actions which had led him to the locker. Much to his surprise Synnove did not berate him for his actions and accuse him of being a traitor in the manner which Elizabeth had. She simply stared at him for a few moments and then said, "it's a good thing you didn't marry this Elizabeth woman, it seems to me as though she would do anything to get what she wants. How heartless of her to treat you as she did and then make you feel guilty for it. I daresay if we ever get out of here I would like to give her a piece of my mind, or an equally sharp instrument."

James was left speechless for a long time after that, and then finally he responded, "A sharp instrument you say, well I have half a mind to turn a blind eye and let you do it, but she is the Governors daughter after all."

"Was."

"Pardon?"

"Was the Governors daughter, she is little less than a pirate now surely."

"Correct again Miss Synnove," James laughed, another first in years, "so then, you know my story through and through now, how about letting me hear yours?"

"My story is rather far-fetched Admiral James, you may think I have gone mad with the heat if I told you."

"Fighting undead pirates and stealing the heart of Davey Jones isn't far-fetched where you come from? And while I'm on the subject, where are you from? I have tried relentlessly to place your accent but to no avail."

"I'm from Sweden that is probably why you haven't heard my accent before. My story also involved Davey Jones, though through no fault of my own. Are you familiar with the story of why he cut his heart out? Synnove began.

"I believe it was over a woman."

"Yes, that woman was Calypso, a Goddess of the Seas, or at least that is the name she goes by now."

"Now?"

"She is a Goddess with many names and faces over the millennia she has been walking the Earth. The story of Calypso always fascinated my Mother, though she died before she could ever explain her fascination to me."

"I am sorry for your loss."

"Don't be Admiral James! It was hardly your fault," Synnove exclaimed in a voice far too happy for the sadness James could see in her eyes, "However Mother did tell me that Calypso is the oldest Goddess of the Seas and she created all of the other sea spirits and Gods who roam the earth. One such Goddess is Rán, the Norse Goddess of the Sea, who also happens to be my ancestor. Mother was a tad hazy on the details of exactly how that came to pass," Synnove paused for a moment to see if James was still listening. When she faced James she felt his eyes bore into hers.

"That explains your enchanting eyes, however, not how you ended up here."

"I was getting to that," Synnove replied, her porcelain skin lightly coloured red in a blush, "You see, Rán was known for her love of humans, however, every time she pulled a sailor overboard into her arms they died obviously. That was until she met and fell in love with Davey Jones. The more time the spent together the more she discovered that he was far more interesting than her husband Ægir. But the feelings were not mutual for the heart of Davey Jones always belonged to Calypso"

"Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned" James added.

"Precisely. It was Rán who made a deal with the Pirate Lords and taught them how to bind Calypso in her human form. She thought that this would leave Davey Jones all to her, but instead he turned away from Rán and everything else, becoming the monster he is today."

"Monster is an understatement. If I were any less of a man his face would have given me nightmares, as it were many of my men refused to be in his presence out of fear."

A stream of laughter burst forth from Synnove's lips. James looked at her in shock, "that wasn't meant to be funny Miss Synnove, I assure you."

"Oh I'm sorry Admiral James, I just find it funny to imagine stern men such as yourself running away from Squidface in terror," Synnove composed herself and looked back up at James, "No shush and let me finish," she said batting at his arm before looping it with his, "The Pirate Lords, in their infinite wisdom let Calypso free in order to beat the East India Trading Company. After she was freed and Davey Jones returned to her she sought out revenge on Rán. However this alone did not satisfy her so she went searching for Rán's descendents. I'm the only living descendent of Rán and so Calypso imprisoned me in here. Isn't it terrible how the foolish actions of others can cause such suffering for innocents like us?"

"I'm hardly innocent Miss Synnove.I have done terrible things"

"I beg to differ, you wouldn't have done any of those things if not for your broken heart."


	3. Chapter 3

For a while silence descended on the pair as they continued walking. Eventually however, they both fell back into companionable conversation. James found himself amazed by how knowledgeable Synnnove was on topics from politics to literature, she truly was an outstanding you woman. She was just the kind of woman James could imagine marrying one day. James shook his head to banish those thoughts and subtly tightened his grip on Synnove's arm. They continued onwards until James stopped abruptly, "do you hear that?" James asked.

Synnove tilted her head in the same manner, "Yes, it sounds like the ocean."

"Impossible surely and yet that is what I hear also."

"Let's go then!" Synnove began running towards the noise dragging James along beside her.

Synnove tripped on the length of her dress and tumbled down the embankment once again dragging James along with her. When they came to a stop at the bottom of the hill James was lying precariously on top of Synnove. His head was resting on her chest and one of his legs was tangled in between hers. He could feel the heat and the curves of her body beneath him and he knew he had to move before something happened.

"Well hello there Admiral James, when I said earlier that there was no need for propriety I didn't exactly mean this," Synnove said throwing her head back and laughing.

James threw himself off of Synnove and turned away to hide his flushing face. He closed his eyes in an attempt to calm himself down but he instantly missed the warmth of her body against his. Once again James found himself shaking away intrusive and altogether improper thoughts of Synnove and her warm body. When he opened his eyes again he found Synnove sitting in front of him looking at him with concern in her ocean coloured eyes.

"Are you alright? Did I hurt you?"

"I'm quite fine Miss Synnove, just a tad dizzy is all."

Synnove launched herself into James' arms and squeezed him tight, "I'm glad," she said with a pause and she wriggled around to sit beside James, "look James – it's the ocean!"

He didn't know how he could have missed such a welcoming sight. In all of the confusion he had missed the fact that he was sitting with Synnove on the edge of a vast ocean. His jaw dropped as his eyes settled on a conveniently placed small rowboat with four oars.

"How convenient," James said dryly pointing towards his discovery.

Synnove pulled herself off the ground and made her way over to the rowboat. She bent down to pick up two of the oars. She threw them both at James, and much to her relief neither of them hit him despite her rather atrocious aiming.

"Let's get rowing shall we?"

"And where exactly do you suggest we row to? That ocean looks about as never ending as the plain we just came from."

"My point exactly, we've come this far and found something new so we may as well continue onwards. Who knows what we will find. I bet you will feel much more at home on the open sea rather than on land and so will I."

"Best get rowing then Miss Synnove."


	4. Chapter 4

The sun was beginning to drop out of the sky after what had felt like hours of rowing in the swirling ocean. Suddenly a thought dawned upon James, one he couldn't possibly keep to himself no matter how absurd it had sounded to him at the time.

"I overheard Elizabeth and the pirates she was with mention something about tipping the Black Pearl over just before sunset and being able to return to the other side. Do you think that could possibly work?" James suggested.

Synnove bristled slightly at the mention of Elizabeth, "I think it's worth a try James. Worst comes to worst we look like idiots in front of one another. I promise not to laugh at you if you promise to do the same when met with my sodden appearance." she said with a laugh.

"Why I would never laugh at a lady!" James said in fake outrage, and then began laughing with his companion.

Synnove looked tentatively over the side of the rowboat and dipped a finger into the water. She yelped and quickly pulled her hand back out, clutching her hand to her chest.

"Are you alright?" James demanded grabbing her hand to inspect it for damage.

"I'm absolutely fine James, the water was just a lot colder than I had expected," she said stifling another fit of laughter.

James went to let go of her hand but Synnove wouldn't release her grip. "If this works and we end up back on the other side, in the world of the living, if you will, what do you plan on doing?"

"I honestly have no idea Miss Synnove. There is nothing left for me in Port Royal. Nothing bar the hangman's noose that is, and I don't much look forward to that. What do you plan on doing?"

"I still have a family to return to in Sweden. I have four younger brothers and an older brother who must be wondering about me by now, not to mention my poor Father."

"Oh," James said somewhat dejectedly.

"Well, you know it would be terribly improper for a woman to travel the seas alone without an escort of sorts. Who better to fill that role than the man who has already done such a brilliant job," Synnove suggested, not liking the idea of having to part with James. Though she could not place the reason why, perhaps she thought, she had begun to fall for this fallen gentleman and his broken heart. Her eyes widened briefly at this realisation, but luckily James had not noticed. He seemed far too preoccupied with his own thoughts.

"Yes, it would be terribly improper, not to mention downright dangerous. I think I shall be escorting you home to Sweden."

"Oh that would be wonderful."

"Now the sun is coming close to setting, come over here and grab on tightly to me, we don't want to risk getting separated after all of this now would we." James commanded, with a hint of a smile to his voice.

Synnove wriggled closer to James until she was sitting between his legs with her arms wrapped around his waist. Her hands holding onto the fabric of his clothing so tightly that her knuckles began to whiten. James slung his left arm around Synnove and tightened his grip around her waist. He tried desperately not to think of the position that they were currently in, but parts of his mind were wandering. Now was no time to lose his focus, he had another reason to live, finally.

"Hold on tightly and don't let go Synnove."

"I wouldn't dream of it James."

And with one final shared smile James tipped the boat over.


	5. Chapter 5

Immediately the piercing cold of the water seeped through their clothing and settled into their bones. James thought that at least with his heavy naval coat he would feel less of the biting cold, but in truth it made little difference. He struggled to open his eyes in order to check on Synnove, but the salt water stung his eyes before he could see anything. He tightened his already vice like grip around her waist and squeezed gently, waiting for a sign that she was alright. The seconds of uncertainty rolled on until he felt her return the gesture. Synnove nuzzled her face into James' chest and fought to keep the remaining air in her lungs. The sound of water rushed around their ears and created a deafening roar. The pressure of the water kept increasing, wrenching at what little air was left in their lungs.

The next thing that they knew the pressure of the water was removed and they were greeted with the sensation of the hot sun bearing down upon them. James' eyes shot open with the realisation that they had made it back to the other side. He sat up in the bottom of the boat and hurriedly checked his surroundings for confirmation of his suspicions. The moment he felt the warm breeze of wind through his hair he knew their attempt had been a success. The Locker never had any wind, like the doldrums he thought he would be trapped their forever. But now he was free, for the first time in his life. He didn't have to take orders from his superiors and he could roam wherever he wanted. However, first he had to fulfil his word to Synnove. It was only after he had gotten over his elation at being free that he finally noticed the unmoving weight of Synnove upon his body.

"Miss Synnove?" he called gently to her.

He received no response.

Synnove's face was resting on his chest, her strange eyes were closed now, but he was relieved to find that she was still breathing, albeit in a somewhat shallow manner. Her raven hair was matted into painful looking clumps and her dress was drenched clinging to her body. As his eyes wandered further down he noted that her arms were still limply wrapped around his waist and she hadn't moved from her place lying between his legs. His face flushed for a moment, but he didn't allow himself to further indulge his rogue thoughts.

Tentatively he reached his hand out to her shoulder and shook her.

"Miss Synnove, please wake up."

In response Synnove let a small sigh pass from her lips, tightened her grip on his body and hid her face within the folds of James' uniform.

James too let out a sigh and decided to let her sleep. They were in no hurry after all, and he had no clue as to where they currently were. Nor did he possess a compass to tell him which direction to move in. His melancholy returned to him as he pondered the idea of escaping from the Locker only to be marooned somewhere out at sea with no supplies and no idea what to do. How could he ever hope to help Synnove if he couldn't even find where they were, all of those years spent in the Navy were for nought it appeared. He may as well enjoy the company of the witty woman who shared in his fate and her warm body on top of his for as long as possible. James rested his head against the floor of the boat once again. He idly ran his fingers through Synnove's hair, untangling it as he went.

When James next opened his eyes he was met with a sight he never wanted to forget. Synnove's ocean-like eyes were staring straight down into his green eyes. They were filled with concern and he thought he saw tears in the corners, but he quickly dismissed that thought. Her small hands were placed on his chest and her knuckles were turning white from how hard she was holding his shirt. When she noticed his eyes were staring back at her she launched herself forwards and held James close to her. His face was met with her ample chest and once again James felt his face flush.

"Oh James, for a minute there it appeared as if you had stopped breathing. I thought I had lost you!" she exclaimed.

James tried to reply to her but it came out muffled.

Synnove released her grip on James and sat back on her knees, completely removing her body from his. He frowned slightly at the loss of contact, but he told himself it was only the heat he missed and nothing else.

Synnove did not see the expression of James' face because she was so mortified that she had nearly crushed the poor Admiral, first with her body weight and then with her chest.

"I'm so sorry James, I must have been crushing you this entire time. It must have been terribly unpleasant for you," Synnove said, looking everywhere except at James.

"It wasn't as unpleasant as you think Miss Synnove. I barely even noticed," it was unpleasant at all, in fact it was entirely the opposite James thought to himself.

But of course a true gentleman must say such things, Synnove thought, and there is no finer gentleman I have ever encountered than James.


	6. Chapter 6

"Oh good Lord," James said bitterly.

A while ago the pair had noticed an island off in the distance. James had known exactly which island they were headed for from the moment they had become close enough to better make the shape out. He had spent the rest of their voyage telling himself that there was no way that this could be true. Out of all of the places in the world he couldn't possibly have ended up here once again. Yet he knew no matter how much he hoped otherwise, there was no escaping reality. It was almost enough to make James wish that he was back in the Locker – almost.

Synnove was exhausted and her arms felt as if they would surely fall off if they didn't reach land soon. She wasn't used to doing all of this manual labour, after all, she had people to do that for her. Or when those people weren't around she simply gave her older brother her best pleading face and he would do whatever she wanted. But she couldn't do that now; she didn't want to feel as though she was a dead weight that propriety had forced upon James. He let her take frequent breaks whilst he continued rowing, but she tried to make them short. Despite the straining pain in her arms and shoulders she was determined to keep going, though she had no hope of keeping up with the rigorous rowing pace James had set for himself.

As they came closer to the island Synnove noticed that James was sitting more rigidly than before with his shoulders squared and his jaw set in position. Originally she had dismissed his behaviour as being due to exhaustion or frustration. She soon noticed however that whenever he caught a glimpse of the island they were headed for he would scowl. His scowl became more and more entrenched the closer they got until his face was reminiscent of a storm cloud. She decided against bringing this up with James until his storm had passed.

From their new position against the wharf of the island Synnove could see the few lamps which lit up the streets. They could not hear the sounds of the island from where they were and James was thankful for that. At a distance this island could be considered beautiful, but once they set foot upon land James knew Synnove would soon change her mind. This island was no place for a woman like her or any woman for that matter. If they were going to survive this part of their journey she would need to obey his every word.

"Do you trust me Miss Synnove?" James asked in his usual no-nonsense tone.

Synnove stared at him for a moment before replying that she did indeed trust him, despite having known him for so little time.

"Then I must ask you to never leave my side whilst we are here, for I fear for you safety should you do otherwise."

"What do you mean?"

"You are a foreign woman in a foreign land. Although you try to hide it your accent will give you away in seconds. You must keep silent no matter what. The way you hold yourself is a signature of the upper class, which will also give you away."

"And why is that such a bad thing? Synnove demanded to know.

James didn't seem to hear her as he continued on, "We will have to find somewhere safe to stay for the night. We haven't any money, so we will have to steal. Someone d-"

James was cut off before he could continue, "What do you mean steal? I thought you were a man of honor Admiral," Synnove said haughtily.

"It is not something that I take any pride in Miss Synnove. Robbery is our only means of income, I won't have either of us sleeping out on the streets. Not here. We will also have to change your appearance. Here, take my coat," he said removing it and handing it to her.

"What good will this do me, it will surely make me more of a spectacle!" Synnove argued.

"It will hide the fact that you are a woman. Being female in this place will not be an advantage for you. All we can do is hide that fact to the best of our limited abilities."

"Oh," Synnove was at a loss for words. Being female had never gotten her into trouble before, in fact, it had helped her out of trouble more times than she dared to count.

"Oh indeed Miss Synnove," he said gravely before continuing on "How do you feel about rolling your dress up so that it is hidden by the coat?"

"It's rather unconventional, but if it keeps me safe I suppose it shouldn't matter."

Synnove began rolling her dress up to her knees. James quickly looked away trying to hide the flush on his cheeks. Thankfully she had high-topped boots so not all that much skin was visible. Next Synnove removed the ribbon from her hair. It fell delicately around her face, framing it in such a way that James had to bite back a gasp of awe. She truly was beautiful in his eyes, but that beauty would make her all the better a target on this island. She re-tied her hair in a much tighter pony tail and then tucked its length down the back of James' coat. He raised an eyebrow at this gesture.

"I'm not cutting it," Synnove said defiantly, trying to find some control over this situation, "You should call me Nova while we are here. It's close enough to my name so that if you slip it will be easy enough to dimiss."

"Good idea Mr. Nova. Let's get going shall we." He stated rather than questioned.

He stood up in their rowboat and climbed up onto the wharf. It was not a graceful feat, to say the least. He turned around and offered Synnove his hand and she tool hauled herself onto the wharf, albeit much more gracefully than James had managed. James let go of her arms and bowed to her, then held his arm out gesturing to the island before them.

"This may be the last act of propriety you encounter whilst here. Welcome to Tortuga Miss Synnove."


	7. Chapter 7

The sound of glass bottles shattering was the first that James and Synnove were met with. Crashing sounds rang all around them, as though someone in every direction was taking out their rage on offending inanimate objects. Screams also filled the night, though it was difficult to tell if they were of pleasure or pain. Synnove wasn't about to leave James' side in order to find out. Under the street lamps the true nature of the island was laid bare before them. Men in varying degrees of inebriation took up residence on the dirty ground. Some were asleep in piles of filth whereas others were not too far from following suit. Couples were all but fornicating in the darkened alleys, leaving trails of clothing behind them.

Synnove tried her best to hide her face behind James and cling to him out of fear. James however had to push her back so that they were no longer touching in order to maintain their anonymity. Two so called men holding hands was bound to get them the worst kind of attention possible. Although Tortuga turned a blind eye to most things, it seems some things they didn't let slip. After hearing the scream of a woman's voice down the alley they were passing Synnove pulled James' coat closer to her body and shrank down further. James had been right about this place, it was certainly no place for a woman like her. They passed numerous taverns, bars and inns before James finally stopped at one.

"This is where I used to stay when I lived here. It's our best bet at such short notice."

"I can't believe anyone would voluntarily live here. It's positively barbaric," Synnove said turning her nose up in disgust.

"Sometimes people don't get the option of choice. I ended up here because of my own failures and shortcomings, many of the other islands inhabitants are just the same." James may not have been proud of his time in Tortuga, but the people who ended up here were not bad people. The people of Tortuga had fallen from grace and had nowhere else to turn. He wouldn't defend their actions since arriving here, but he would defend their circumstances.

Synnove remained silent after that. Her younger brothers had always said that she was far too judgmental and it would seem that James had just proven their point once again. She felt a sharp stab in her heart when she thought of her brothers and her father back home. She longed to return home safely, if it hadn't been for James' kind offer she would surely have no hope. Without James' protections he feared that Tortuga would swallow her whole.

James walked through the masses of tables occupied by drunkards and made his way to the bar. He pushed his way through those at the bar and grabbed the attention of the serving woman behind the counter. The woman was much older than James and her red hair was streaked with grey at the temples. Her age didn't stop her from wearing a low cut dress showing parts of her that Synnove would rather not be seeing. The dress she was wearing was a tattered faded blue number. It would have been a gorgeous dress once, but now it was little more than servant-wear. The woman had dull green eyes, as if the island had sucked out the vibrancy from her. Synnove was too far away to hear the words which were being exchanged between the two, but from the frantic gestures the woman was making Synnove could tell the negotiations weren't going to well. The woman wrenched a key from the wall and moved away from the bar towards the stairs. James followed and motioned for Synnove to do the same. The woman didn't speak until they were stopped outside another door which she quickly opened and ushered them in.

"Only one room, but there are two beds for ye," the woman said with a thick Irish accent.

"Thank you madam" James said, Synnove just nodded and kept her eyes on the floor.

"I will expect full payment tomorrow, plus what we discussed earlier Mr. Norrington. I don't usually encourage your kind in here, had I known earlier I never would have let you in."

"Of course Madam, you will have all that you are entitled to. Nova here will also assist you in the kitchen tomorrow as we discussed."

"Damn right he will. What is wrong with him anyway, got no tongue?"

"Nova here barely even speaks English as it was."

"A foreigner ae? Where are you from laddie?"

Synnove looked to James for permission to speak, he signaled that it was fine. She raised her head up and looked straight into the older woman eyes, "I'm from Sweden Ma'am"

"I ain't too worldly lad, where's that?"

"Up in the Arctic Circle Ma'am. Dreadfully cold Ma'am, dreadfully cold."

"That right…" the woman trailed off, "I'll leave you two now. But I'll be back early in the morning to claim Nova for the kitchens." With that she swept from the room.

"Dreadfully cold Ma'am," James said mockingly trying to replicate Synnove's accent.

Synnove glared back at James before removing a pillow from the bed and hitting him over the head with it.

"I would thank you to not mock my accent. Barely speaks English you say? Am I really that bad?"

"Your English is more than adequate. Just remember not to say too much. Your vocabulary will give you away as being upper class. They don't take kindly to being looked down upon."

"Is that what she meant by 'your kind' James?"

"No Miss Synnove, she meant something entirely different."

"What?"

"Never mind. I think its best we turn in for the night," James said removing his sword from his belt and placing it with the other items of clothing he was currently discarding.

Synnove turned away from him huffing and began removing her boots. She wasn't going to take anything else off, especially with James barely a meter away from her. She quickly dived under the covers and blew out the candle in the lamp next to her. James quickly followed suit.

"Goodnight James," Synnove said with a yawn.

"Goodnight Miss Synnove."


	8. Chapter 8

Later that same night Synnove was tossing and turning within the sheets of her bed. She was having what had started out as a lovely dream that had quickly turned to a nightmare. She was simply floating in a freezing cold ocean, not struggling against the current or attempting to make her way to land. Synnove let the water hold her tightly and she felt a comforted in a way she had not felt since her mother was alive. She never thought it was possible to be so at peace in the water. She continued to drift peacefully for some time until she felt something tug at her limbs. The sleeves and along the bottom of her dress were attached to hooks. A large net was coming out of the water beneath her and soon had her completely covered. Synnove struggled against the pull of the net and hooks but it was in vain. The more she tried to escape the harder the hooks pulled at her. As the hooks pulled at her she noticed the sky had changed to a darker grey and the ocean began churning. Violent waves crashed around her and helped to push be underwater. She fought harder to reach the surface, but the net finally pulled her under with one final tug. Frantically Synnove tried to reach her arms out to the surface. She felt her fingertips reach above the water but another harsh tug reined her back in. She opened her mouth the called out for help but her words were chocked in her throat before they could escape. Synnove put all of her strength into one last push against the net and felt her head break the surface. She called out for James to help her, if anyone could help her it would have to be him. But before she could get any answer she was viciously tugged back to the depths. Her limbs felt like dead weight and she had no more strength left to fight. She felt the crushing darkness envelop her, there was nothing she could do but give up. Just before she allowed herself to give up she felt her shoulder being shaken roughly and someone was calling her name. She tried to bat them away but the hands on her were persistent. Someone was pulling her back to the surface. That someone was much stronger than her.

Her eyes shot open to see James leaning over her on the bed. One of his hands was placed on her shoulder and the other was on her cheek. Concern filled his eyes. "Miss Synnove?"

"What's wrong James?"

"I could ask you the same thing. You were thrashing about like a madwoman and calling out for my assistance."

"Was I really? How peculiar." Synnove said as if she had no idea what James was talking about. Her dream was just a dream, no sense in worrying James over something so mundane. He had other more important things on his plate at the moment.

James absentmindedly caressed her cheek with his thumb before drawing himself away. "Well, if you are sure you're alright Miss Synnove."

"I'm sure James, it was just a nightmare. None of which I can recall now. Dreams are such fleeting things, in the dark of the night they appear so real and yet when your eyes are open they disappear with the moon," Synnove said dreamily, "Goodnight James."

James smiled at her and gave her shoulder a reassuring squeeze "Goodnight once again Miss Synnove."

The rays of the morning sun came streaming into the room where James was still lying asleep. His face was buried into the pillow and a light snoring sound came from his mouth. How he managed to sleep through the noise of last night and the call of the landlady earlier was beyond Synnove. The voice of the landlady was shrill and she had knocked on the door with a heavy hand around ten minutes ago. Since then Synnove has struggled out of bed and readjusted herself for work. She stood in front of the only mirror in the room and made sure that her dress wasn't showing or any other tell-tale signs of her femininity. Synnove frowned at her appearance and left the room without waking James. He deserved a rest after all he had done for her already.

Synnove trudged down the stairs into the kitchen where she met the landlady. After the initial flurry to get the bar clean before the morning patrons arrived, Synnove finally had time to take a break. During this break she finally learnt that the landlady's name was Malvina, but she didn't give a last name. Malvina liked to talk to herself a lot during work, telling herself if she missed a spot and scolding herself when she did. Her beloved husband had always told her that she was losing her more of her marbles each time she spoke to herself. However now she justified her self-narration by claiming that she was having a conversation with Nova. The fact that the young lad hadn't made a sound all morning didn't bother her, much. It seemed the more she tried to coax words from the boy the less likely he became to respond to her. During the rest of the day Malvina made Nova serve drinks at the bar alongside her. Throughout this time Malvina would tell Nova all about the beautiful Emerald Isle where she had originally come from. She told Nova about the first time she had met her husband and how charming he had been. A little after midnight she sent Nova back upstairs to bed. All the paying customers had gone by now and only the dregs were left over to be kicked out until they had some more money. There was no sense in keeping Nova up any longer than need be. Malvina knew there was something a little off with the young lad, but she wasn't going to say anything to him until she had some kind of proof. Lest her husband be correct and she really had lost her marbles.

Synnove made her way back upstairs to retire for the night. She pulled off her boots and released her long hair from its tie. In the adjoining bathroom she checked over her appearance and found that she was covered in grime and dirt from the day's work. She was disgusted with her appearance and quickly set about making herself more presentable. Even if everyone on this island thought she was a young boy it didn't mean that she had to be constantly messy like one. Quite frankly she was appalled with her appearance. In the mirror she made it quite clear to her reflection just how she felt. Once she was finished she made her way over to her bed and noticed that James still was not back.

He had left shortly after she had begun working in the morning and he had not come back since then. Not even for a meal. Synnove's first thoughts were that he had left her behind and had gone to find his own freedom. She was sure she was a burden on him and she couldn't rightly blame him if he skipped town and left her. Synnove quickly dismissed these nagging doubts about James' character with a shake of her head. Even though she had only known him for a short time she was certain that he was not the type to shirk his duties, even if they were self imposed. She knew James would be back soon and then she could go to sleep. As the night wore on Synnove found herself struggling to stay awake. In fact, the only thing that was keeping her awake was her concern for James' welfare. She couldn't bear the thought of something bad happening to the Admiral because of her. The more tired she became the more her worries increased. She resolved that no matter how hard she had to pinch herself she would not sleep until she saw his face. And then she would pinch him to ensure that she wasn't just dreaming his return. And so Synnove sat on her bed chewing her fingernails nervously like she used to when she was a child. She fondly remembered how her mother had scolded her for doing such things. Telling her that no boys would want to marry a young lady with such terrible looking nails. Synnove had replied her mother that she wouldn't want to marry a man who was so easily put off. Her mother had always laughed at Synnove's retorts, whilst her father had given her a disapproving look. She missed everything about her mother, but mostly she missed her laughter.

Synnove began to drop of the sleep, comforted by the memories of her mother when she heard the clomping of heavy men's boots on the floorboards. Synnove shot upright and ran her hands through her hair shaking off the clutches of sleep.

The key turned in the lock and into the room stepped a beaten James Norrington.


	9. Chapter 9

James Norrington was covered in blood. It was seeping down in rivers from a wound somewhere buried within his hair. The crimson liquid ran in paths down his face and into his eyes. His once crisply coloured uniform was soiled with dirt and blood and he was walking with a slight limp.

He never had been a very popular man in Tortuga. He surmised that this was primarily due to the fact that he had personally introduced many of the inhabitants relatives to his famous 'short drop and sudden stop' method of business. Although this was not entirely his fault, as he was at the time bound by duty to follow the law. The one time he had not followed the law to the letter, he had lost everything. He still nursed a large grudge for Jack Sparrow. A very large grudge. If he never saw the man again, it would be too soon. But this time Jack wasn't to blame for his beating. Or at least James couldn't currently figure out a way to blame Jack, but the moment that he did, this would all be Jack's fault once again.

James had begun the day by looking for some temporary work in one of the taverns, but there was nothing going. Or perhaps there were job vacancies, but none of them were open to him. No one wanted anything to do with Admiral James Norrington, scourge of Pirates. Well, that wasn't entirely true, there were several things they wanted to do to him, but none of them were remotely pleasant. Before he knew it he had been to every tavern in Tortuga looking for a job and he had turned up with nothing. He couldn't just return to Synnove with nothing to show for today, he couldn't afford to let her down. He was far too used to seeing disappointment in people's eyes when they looked at him, Synnove hadn't looked at him like that and he never wanted to give her a reason to do so.

Now that night was beginning to fall, things were looking grimmer for James. He needed money in order to pay the landlady for last night and tonight, but all of his honest searching was in vain. If he didn't find some way to get money soon Synnove and himself would be out on the street tonight, and he didn't know if he would be able to protect her. So James decided to wait until it was darker before he made his move. When it was darker the Tortugan's would be much further into their drunken stupor and therefore would be much easier pickings for James. He ran his fingers over the sword at his side. He wouldn't kill his intended victim, no, that would make him no better than the murderers that he had hung over the years. He would merely knock them out and run away with whatever little money they had. James wasn't proud of himself and this wasn't the first time he had done something like this. Last time he had been far too proud to relinquish his Commodore's clothing for money, he had kept that cumbersome wig and hat far longer than he should have. He had held on to those possessions when he should have sold them for whatever he could get. Last time he should have acted honestly, the way he was raised, and he had chosen not to. Now that he wanted to act honestly, he had nothing to exchange for food and shelter. Sometimes, James thought, the world is just far too cruel. Synnove was relying on him to do his part and so far he was useless. James tucked himself further into the shadows and waited.

Long after midnight an older man made his way down James' alley. The man was wobbling rather than walking and he couldn't see very far ahead of him. The world was spinning and yet he managed to keep a firm grip upon his bottle of rum. Nothing was more important to this drunkard than his rum. He had left everything else behind to pursue his love of rum, his wife, his children, his family. They meant nothing to him now that he had rum. The drunk wobbled past James, paying him no heed and continued on down the alleyway. Slowly James removed himself from his place against the wall and crept after him. The drunken man began humming an unrecognisable tune which further assisted James in his plan. They were halfway down the alleyway now, no one would come to this man's rescue and his cries wouldn't be heard anyway. Now was the perfect time to strike. James raised his sword still in its sheath from his side. He held tightly onto the handle and swung the covered blade down onto the drunkards head. With a loud crack the man crumpled into a pile upon the ground. James crouched over the slumped body and began riffling through the man's pockets until he found a wallet. The man had not been carrying much, and James didn't feel right taking all the money, so he only took half before leaving the alley in a nonchalant manner. He repeated this several times down different alleys until he had enough money to pay for last night as well as at least the rest of the week. It hadn't been a hard task, but it was one he would have a hard time forgiving himself for. He decided now was the time to go back to Synnove and turn in for the night. Tomorrow he would look once again for an honest job and a way for them both to get off this god forsaken island.

He made his way back to the Inn along the docks. Although it was late at night there were still some ships coming in and others were departing. James stood by one dock and watched as the men aboard the closest ship ran about seemingly like headless chickens. These men had no idea what they were doing, everything they were doing was wrong in one way or another. James cringed at the thought that he had once been so useless at sea. But time had helped him to perfect his technique, time and the whippings he received for his failures. The captain of this ship was obviously too lenient on the boy sailors in his charge. That lenience could lead to someone being seriously hurt or the loss of lives. When James saw a man wearing a hat which identified him as the captain and what appeared to be his first mate came within hearing distance James decided to voice his concerns.

That was his first and only mistake of the day. Remarkable considering how well he was liked on this island.

It was shortly after he had spoken his first sentence that he realised something was wrong. He hadn't said anything particularly damning or insensitive, but his tone was his usual tone, thick with his air of authority. His condescending tone lead the sailors to believe he wanted to start a fight. As the sailors began to yell down at him from their various positions on the ship he noted that they weren't speaking English. James hurriedly began to speak in Latin in an attempt to converse with the sailors. He had been forced to learn the language as a boy, but he had never found it useful, even now it was proving to be useless. His broken Latin seemed to only increase the anger of the sailors who began advancing upon him. James conceded that he was in over his head and began to back away from the docks, straight into the chest of a much larger muscular man.

That is when the beating commenced. It certainly couldn't be considered a fight as a fight was considered to be at least somewhat fair. The large man behind James decked him with one punch. Before he knew it the men from the ship had run down to join in on the fun. Punches were coming at him from all directions before he could manage to drag himself to his feet. He was down and there was no way of getting up, not with all these people around. James had never been known to be a coward, but the safest way out of this situation was to pretend to be unconscious for a while and then slink away when no one was looking. He felt disgusted that he was reduced to stealing and now blatant cowardice, but there were no other options. James curled himself into a ball, concealing the small bag of money tucked under his clothing and lying on his sword. He couldn't risk either item being stolen from him, so he hid them. Like the coward he was.

More punches rained down upon his body and were shortly joined by vicious kicks to the ribs. James lost any notion of how long he had been lying prone in the dirt; he closed his eyes and pretended he was elsewhere whilst they continued. Once the sailors realised they weren't going to get any rise out of him they became bored and left. But not without the deliverance of one final kick to the ribs.

Once the noise of the sailors had disappeared James raised his head to check they were truly gone. He saw no one in the immediate vicinity so he hauled himself painfully upwards and limped back to the Inn.

All the way back to the Inn James was mentally berating himself. He had only been trying to help those sailors and look where it had landed him. His sense of honour and good will to others did him more harm than it ever did good. By the time that James had made it slowly back to the Inn he was fuming mad with himself. He decided that the next time someone appeared to be having difficulty, no matter who they were, he was just going to let them suffer. Damn them all and let them suffer, it wasn't his problem, his only duty was to Synnove.

He walked up to the landlady at the bar counter and slammed his bag of money down. She disregarded his appearance, he wasn't the first beaten man to come in here and he wouldn't be the last. She counted out the coins slowly before saying, "this will do the pair of you for a week, and if Nova keeps working as well as he has today then I suppose I could stretch that out to two weeks. The boy was very useful today. Got things done in half the time I did. Still not much of a talker, will have to cure him of that. Such a submissive little thing, is that how you like them Admiral? Or should I say former Admiral."

James' face went red at the insinuations of the landlady, he opened his mouth to say something but was cut off before he could.

"Oh well, off to bed with you. And don't you be waking Nova on the way in. I need that boy to be working again tomorrow, not taking care you a washed up old salt like you," she said a whisked off out to the kitchen.

James narrowed his eyes and swallowed his anger as he made his way up the stairs.


	10. Chapter 10

The minute he stepped through the door Synnove was at his side. She pushed her body against his and took some of his weight, helping him walk easier over to his bed. Synnove eased him down onto the bed and then walked out to the bathroom. She came back carrying a basin of warm water and a cloth and placed it on the table at his side. Whilst she was gone he had removed his sword and boots and placed himself under the covers, still sitting upright. He looked exhausted and was having trouble keeping his eyes open.

"What on earth happened to you James?" Synnove said as she sat next to him on the bed. Concern filled her eyes.

"Just Tortuga as it usually is, nothing too serious." James said attempting to dismiss her worrying eyes. He just wanted to rest; he was in no condition to answer her questions.

"Nothing too serious? How can you say such a thing, you are covered in blood." If Synnove had been expecting an answer, she would not receive one. James was too far gone to say anything intelligible now. Synnove sighed at his appearance and begun the task of cleaning him up. She dipped the cloth into the warm water and then wrung it out, making sure not to soak him and make him any more uncomfortable than he must already be. She moved tentatively towards the blood on James' face, trying to find the source. She placed her small pale hand on the side of his face that wasn't covered in blood and began to clean the crimson liquid away. There was so much blood and the majority of it had dried and caked onto his skin and into what appeared to be the beginnings of a beard he was growing. As she ran the moist cloth over his skin James' face began to slump against her hand and his eyes closed. Synnove continued to remove the blood from his face with one hand a caressed his cheek with the other. She stopped abruptly when a light grunt escaped his lips and withdrew her hand, she was terrified that she had hurt him in some way.

"James? Did I hurt you?" His eyes slowly opened and met with hers.

"What? No, no, you didn't hurt me. Please keep going," he said groggily with a small smile, "it feels nice." Had James been fully conscious he would never have dreamed of saying those words to her, but the beating had thrown his propriety out the window along with most of his consciousness. He continued to mumble incoherently under his breath whilst Synnove continued on. She strained to hear snippets of what he was saying and wished that she could hear him more clearly, but upon failing this she resolved that sometimes the private thoughts of delirium were better left as they were. James' eyes began to drift closed once again and he slumped forward into Synnove. She could feel the warmth from his body reaching out to hers causing her eyes to widen at the contact. She was used to her younger brothers acting in such a way after their childhood skirmishes, but a fully grown man was another story completely. James was entirely helpless in her arms. Synnove had never seen a man look so much like a child, so lost and forlorn. His half asleep form made her wonder what he had looked like as a child and she giggled slightly at the idea. A miniaturised James running around with a wooden toy sword clutched tightly in his hands and a serious look upon his face flooded her mind and she had to bite her tongue to quell her laughter.

James let out another grunt, this time of pain as she brushed against the wound hidden in his hair. This simple noise was enough to shock her out of her fits of silent laughter. How could she be laughing at him when he was so vulnerable? She scolded herself for thinking such terrible thoughts and resumed her duties, this time being more careful around his tender head.

A short while later Synnove had managed to patch James up, complete with a bandage tied around his injured head. He was sure to be covered in bruises in the morning, but she would worry about that later. Now she was tired and wanted nothing more than to go to sleep in her own bed. She made a move to get up, but found she was caught on something. She let out an exasperated sigh as she thought that she would never get a decent night's sleep. She turned to see what she was caught upon and discovered that James was holding tightly on to her sleeve. He had finally fallen asleep minutes before and now she was trapped in his sleepy grip. She frowned and tugged, trying to free herself but to no avail. She had to be careful with trying to remove his grip. She didn't want to wake him or hurt him in some way and she couldn't just hit him until he let go like she could with her brothers.

Synnove moved the fingers of her free hand to cover his. The muscles in his hand were tense and she could feel the veins as she traced them with her fingertips. Her fingers lightly stroked his hand and she whispered closely to his ear, "let go James, you have to let go now."

This had the opposite effect to which she had desired. His grip tightened and made its way to her wrist from her sleeve.

"No. Everyone I let go never comes back," he said in his sleep.

"I'm not going far," Synnove said amazed at the clarity his dreamy words held.

"You'll leave me forever. Just like …" he trailed off as his voice took on the tone of a lost child.

Synnove's eyes darkened as she scowled. That Elizabeth women James had mentioned earlier had clearly left him with a gaping hole in his heart. When he had mentioned her he only had kind words for her, but it was evident that she had left him with deep running wounds. Wounds which itched and bleed in the dark of the night, wounds which became visible when James let his guard down. It all made Synnove resent this woman she had never met even more.

"I promise you I will not ever leave you James. You only have to let go for a little while now. I will not run away."

James dropped his grip and Synnove was able to move away. He seemed to be in a peaceful sleep once again and Synnove smiled down at his prone form. Throwing caution to the wind she leant over and placed a kiss on his forehead. It was a terrible thing for an unwed lady to do, let alone one of her social class. But no one would ever know what she had done, so all was well.

She retreated from his side but found that she was again trapped. Synnove let out an impatient sigh. This man was certainly a handful. But her was her handful, for now, she thought happily.

"You promised, remember?" his voice said quietly.

"Of course James. I'm never going to leave you," she meant every word.

With that he finally released her and she slipped off to bed at long last. She drifted off to sleep wondering if James would have promised her forever if the tables had been turned. Forever with him wouldn't be entirely unpleasant she thought with a wry smile.


End file.
